Looking For Some Gems

Collapse

Announcement

Collapse
No announcement yet.
X
 
  • Filter
  • Time
  • Show
Clear All
new posts

  • Looking For Some Gems

    Hey folks,

    I'm an avid movie watcher, and collector, as are many, if not most, of the rest of you. I'm looking for some ideas of those hidden gems, movies that you think are really special, but got/get little to no attention, or you think were overlooked.

    Obviously, here on a movie board, we've heard of more than the average movie-viewer. So, when I say got little attention, I mean in the broad more public sense. And, overlooked might be a good movie, but just didn't get the big press and attention.

    So, I'm not talking some obscure movie that only got a festival release, rather a movie that one can find on DVD. I don't care about the country, (I've no problem with subtitles), I don't care about the year, I don't care if it is B&W or color, just looking for some good new movies to add.

    For example, last week I watched Europa, Europa. I really liked that film, made in 1991, about a Jewish boy who joins the Hitler Youth to survive the war. Based on a true story, that is now one of my favorite WWII era movies. I know that movie won an Oscar for adapted screenplay (that's how I found it), but it slipped under my radar for many years.

    All right, that went on a bit too long. What are your hidden gems?
    Don't repeat it; create it.

  • #2
    Re: Looking For Some Gems

    One that comes to my mind right now and disregarded because of the medium used is "Grave of the Fireflies"
    A talent for drama is not a talent for writing, but is an ability to articulate human relationships.
    Gore Vidal

    "Aisatsu Yori Ensatsu"
    Money is better than compliments.


    Comment


    • #3
      Re: Looking For Some Gems

      I'd start with early Polanski, particularly his debut feature Knife in the Water along with The Tenant and Repulsion. All fantastic films in their own ways.

      Other foreign films that don't seem to get much attention, but which I adore are:

      Delicatessen
      The Exterminating Angel
      (like it so much I just bought the screenplay)
      The Human Beast
      Little Otik
      Memories of Underdevelopment
      My Life as a Dog
      Show me Love
      Spirit of the Beehive
      The Virgin Spring


      If you're into WWII films, you might want to check out The Grey Zone and Closely Watched Trains.

      The rest of what I consider hidden gems, because people rarely talk about them ...

      Bubba Ho-Tep
      The Collector
      Dark City
      Dead Man
      Frailty
      The House of Yes
      McCabe & Mrs. Miller
      Peeping Tom
      Picnic at Hanging Rock
      Rabbit Proof Fence
      Roger Dodger
      Scarlet Street
      Session 9
      Sid & Nancy
      Spring Forward
      The Swimmer
      Vincent & Theo
      http://confoundedfilms.com

      http://www.myspace.com/confoundedfilms

      Comment


      • #4
        Re: Looking For Some Gems

        Off the top of my head:
        Irreversible
        Bully
        Owning Mahowny
        Dirty Pretty Things
        The Limey

        This isn't the Howard Johnson's.

        Comment


        • #5
          Re: Looking For Some Gems

          Downfall
          Amores Perros
          Glengarry Glen Ross
          Ulee's Gold

          Comment


          • #6
            Re: Looking For Some Gems

            Frailty - Somebody mentioned this already and I second the notion. A highly underrated flick.

            Requiem For A Dream - Yes, most people on here have heard of it but if you haven't and you like great movies that don't necessarily make you feel good inside, check it out.

            A Shock To The System - I always mention this movie because in my opinion, it's one of the best black comdies ever made. That and Michael Caine gives one of his best performances ever.

            F*cking Amal - This movie is to Swedes what The Breakfast Club is to Americans.

            Lilia 4-Ever - If you've watched Requiem For a Dream and the depressing tone didn't bother you, you're ready for this powerful film.

            Comment


            • #7
              Re: Looking For Some Gems

              Little gems off the top of my head that aren't often seen here (save for the Coppolla):

              "The Vanishing" (not the remake but the Dutch/French version--brilliantly creepy psychological terror; so good that Kubrick wrote the director a letter praising the film).

              "The Conversation" (Coppolla).

              "Le Samouraï" (Jean-Pierre Melville).

              "In the Mood for Love" and "Fallen Angels" (both Wong Kar-Wai).

              "Memories of Murder" (a recent Korean picture).

              "Poor Cow" (with Terence Stamp).

              "Weatherby" (David Hare wrote and directed it--it was a success in the UK and may not have even opened here).

              "Dance with a Stranger" (the story of the last woman to be hanged in the UK for murder, with Rupert Everett).

              Jacques Tati's "Monsieur Hulot's Holiday" and "Playtime".

              "Claire's Knee" and "My Afternoon with Maude" (both Eric Rohmer).

              "Picnic at Hanging Rock" (Peter Weir)

              "Afterlife" (Hirokazu Koreeda)

              Lots more to come, obviously...

              Comment


              • #8
                Re: Looking For Some Gems

                Repulsion is remarkable. Deneuve and the wall of hands.

                a few picks:

                The Straight Story (wow)
                Le Mepris
                Bad Timing
                Bad Lt. (pref a copy pre-Signifying Rapper lawsuit)
                Videodrome
                Lovers of the Arctic Circle / Sex and Lucia
                Big Night
                Exotica
                Two or Three Things I Know About Her

                Onibaba - haven't seen it yet myself, need to though.

                tip if you're watching "In the Mood for Love" for the first time: the passing seasons are identified by what's being prepared in the kitchen. Deftly obvious to Chinese auds, but I had no idea until I turned to the extras and watched the Cannes interview with the director. This really helps to get a handle on the "affair's" (extraordinary) timeline.
                The Complete IfilmPro DEVELOPMENT FORUM (PDF)

                Comment


                • #9
                  Re: Looking For Some Gems

                  Shadow of the Vampire
                  Garde A'Vue (The Inquisitor)

                  Comment


                  • #10
                    Re: Looking For Some Gems

                    Shadow of the Vampire
                    Great call. How'd I forget that one? Definitely a gem.

                    I'll toss out Simon Birch too.
                    http://confoundedfilms.com

                    http://www.myspace.com/confoundedfilms

                    Comment


                    • #11
                      Re: Looking For Some Gems

                      The Chant of Jimmie Blacksmith
                      Fitzcarraldo
                      Saturday Night and Sunday Morning
                      Five Graves to Cairo
                      Tunes of Glory
                      My Name is Joe
                      Lovers of the Arctic Circle
                      A Taste of Honey
                      The Underneath
                      The Ploughman's Lunch
                      The Hucksters
                      The Belles of St. Trinians.
                      http://wasitsomethingiwrote.blogspot.com/

                      Comment


                      • #12
                        Re: Looking For Some Gems

                        A heart in winter / Sautet
                        The Duellists / Scott
                        Ratcatcher / Ramsey
                        Urbania / Shear
                        Touching the void / Macdonald
                        Holy smoke / Campion
                        The ceremony / Chabrol
                        What time is it there? / Ming-Liang
                        Lamerica / Amelio
                        Forbidden games / Clement

                        Comment


                        • #13
                          Re: Looking For Some Gems

                          Some British films:

                          "The Long Good Friday"
                          "The Draughtsman's Contract"
                          "Get Carter" (the original, not the remake)
                          "The Quiller Memorandum" (with a script by Harold Pinter)
                          "The Go-Between" (ditto, based on the great novel by Hartley)
                          "Accident" (likewise)
                          "The Servant"
                          "Billy Liar"
                          "Don't Look Now"
                          "Comfort and Joy"
                          "This Sporting Life"
                          "The Hit"
                          "The Company of Wolves"

                          Godard:
                          "Bande à Part"
                          "Vivre sa Vie"
                          "Alphaville"

                          Anything by Kieslowski, but especially:
                          "Bleu"
                          "Blanc"
                          "Rouge"
                          "The Double Life of Veronique"

                          The "Dekalogue"
                          "Blind Chance" (the model for "Sliding Doors")
                          "Camera Buff"

                          Louis Malle:
                          "Lacombe Lucien"
                          "Murmur of the Heart"
                          "Lift to the Scaffold" (if only for the great Miles Davis soundtrack, improvised as he watched the raw footage)

                          More Melville:
                          "Bob le Flambeur"
                          "Le Cercle Rouge"

                          Fellini, of course, especially:
                          "La Dolce Vita,
                          "8 1/2"
                          "Nights of Cabiria"

                          I second the Chabrol films mentioned earlier, though his output has been uneven since the early 80s.
                          Last edited by Jake Schuster; 04-07-2006, 05:43 AM.

                          Comment


                          • #14
                            Re: Looking For Some Gems

                            Audition - Takeshi Miike
                            In the Mood for Love - Wong Kar Wai
                            2046 -Wong Kar Wai
                            The Emperor and the Assassin - Chen Kaige
                            The Untold Story - Danny Lee
                            Joint Security Area - Park Chan-wook
                            Sword of Doom - Okamoto Kihachi
                            Samurai Fiction - Nakano Hiroyuki
                            Le Quai des Brumes - Marcel Carné
                            Baisers Volés - François Truffaud
                            Les Quatre cents coups - François Truffaud
                            La Passante du Sans-Souci - Jacques Rouffio
                            Last Life in the Universe - Ratanaruang Pen-Ek
                            A talent for drama is not a talent for writing, but is an ability to articulate human relationships.
                            Gore Vidal

                            "Aisatsu Yori Ensatsu"
                            Money is better than compliments.


                            Comment


                            • #15
                              Re: Looking For Some Gems

                              This is great, thanks everyone! I think I've only seen maybe an eighth of these, so this give me plenty of viewing for a long time. Perfect.

                              Thanks again.
                              Don't repeat it; create it.

                              Comment

                              Working...
                              X